Wrapping machines



Dec. 8, 1959 A. R. FRANK ETAL 2,915,867

WRAPP'ING MACHINES Filed May 13, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 8, 1959 A. R. FRANK4 EVAL 2,915,867

WRAPPING MACHINES Filed May 13. 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Tar.

United States Patent O WRAPPING MACHINES Anton Richard Frank, Long Island City, and William H. Giles, Brooklyn, N.Y., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Van Buren Machine Corp., Brooklyn, NX., a corporation of New York Application May 13, 1955, Serial No. 508,204

2 Claims. (Cl. 53-230) This invention relates to wrapping machines and the machine which will be illustrated and described as an embodiment of the invention was designed particularly for wrapping soap cakes or bars, although it should be understood that the invention is not limited to this specific use. Y

This invention has for its salient object to provide a machine of the character described which will produce a neat, tight wrap, both around the cake and at the ends thereof. Y

Another object of the invention is to provide a wrapper so constituted and so applied that the cake will retain its moisture and aroma.

Another object of the invention is to provide wrapping and sealing mechanism so constructed and arranged that the forming of a tight seal will be expedited.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following specification taken in connection with the drawings which form a part of this application, and in which Fig. 1 is a vertical, sectional elevation of wrapping and sealing mechanism embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical, sectional elevation of one side of the channel through ywhich the wrapper and article wrapped are pushed;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view, partly in section, taken substantially on line 3 3 of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a vertical, sectional elevation taken substantially at right angles to Fig. 1 but showing the tumbler box or pocket in vertical discharging position instead of in receiving position, as shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 5 is a perspective, elevational view showing the wrapper folded around the cake before the end flaps are folded; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation showing the laminated structure of the wrapper.

The wrapping machine illustrated in the drawings is similar to that disclosed in Van Buren Patent No. 1,746,448. As shown in Fig. 1, the cakes AC of soap or other articles are fed from a table or support 10 by a plunger or pusher 11 between plates 12 and 13 of a tumbler box or pocket which is oscillatable on a horizontal pivot 15. The plates 12 and 13 are pressed inwardly by springs 16.

The wrapper is fed downwardly by feed rolls 17 and 18 into the path of movement of the article or cake C and as the cake is fed between the plates 12 and 13 the wrapper is folded around the rear edge and upper and lower surfaces of the cake and one edge portion of the wrapper projects beyond the rear edge of the cake away from the upper or parallel edge portion, as shown at 20.

A plunger rod 21 is slidable in the rear end of the tumbler box and has a head 22 movable between the plates 12 and 13 to eject the `cake and wrapper when the tumbler box has been oscillated to vertical position, as shown in Fig. 4. The tumbler box also has secured thereto and projecting from the rear edge thereof, a pair of lingers 25 and 26 which engage the projecting edges of the wrap- ICC 2 per which extend beyond the ends of the cake C and form tucks 27 and 28 therein.

Thus, after the cake and wrapper are pushed into the tumbler box, end tucks are formed at one edge of the cake and the wrapper is folded around the top, bottom and sides of the cake with one edge portion 20 extending downwardly.

As the tumbler box is rotated to the vertical position shown in Fig. 4, the edge portion 20 will rest against the upper surface 30 of a block 31 at one side of the channel 42 through which the cake and wrapper are pushed. A heater plate or block 32 is mounted in the block 31, as shown in Fig. 2, and below the heater block the side of the channel is formed by a plate 33 which forms one wall of a chamber 34 through which cooling ll'uid is circulated through pipes 35 and 36.

The other wall of the channel through which the cakes and wrapper are fed is formed by a series of spring pressed plates 38 which are slidably mounted on a supporting plate or bar 39.

At the sides of the channel are secured plates 40 which have upwardly extending lingers 41 and also have an undulating folding edge 43. v

As the cakes and wrapper are fed downwardly into the channel, the fingers -41 form the lower tucks 45 and 46, and after the upper and lower tucks are formed outwardly projecting flaps `47 and 48 are formed at each end of the wrapper. The aps disposed adjacent the block 31 and heater 32 carried thereby are folded against the end of the cake by the folding edge 43 and are held in this position when the cake moves from the guide channel downwardly to a table 50 by side plates 51 and 52. The flaps 47, as shown in Fig. 3, project outwardly beyond the edges of the cake or article wrapped and are folded when the cake is pushed by a pusher or plunger 53 between heater blocks 54 and 55 which are disposed at the sides of the delivery table or platform 50. Beyond the heater blocks 54 and 455 the cakes are guided between cooling blocks `60 and 61.

The operation of the heating and cooling blocks will be described in connection with the particular form of wrapper used in the machine and shown in Fig. 6. In this ligure the wrapper shown consists of a layer 70 of paper having an inked or printed surface 71 covered by a coating 72 of lacquer. The inner surface of the paper 70 is coated by a layer of greaseproof lacquer 73 and a film or layer 74 of wax is disposed between the layer 73 of greaseproof lacquer and a layer 75 of porous paper or tissue.

When the wrapper is folded around the cake as the cake moves into the tumbler box and when the cake and wrapper are fed into the vertical channel, parallel edge portions of the wrapper are overlapped and these overlapped portions are pushed along the surface of the heater block 32. This causes the wax to melt and to pass through the porous tissue and to seal the overlapped edge portions of the wrapper together. The cake is then pushed downwardly so that the sealed overlapped edge portions engage the cooling plate 33, which cools the wax and cornpletes and sets the seal. Thus, the overlapped edge portions of the wrapper are securely and tightly sealed before the ends of the wrapper are sealed against the ends of the cake. After the cake has been pushed downwardly to the support or platform 50, one set of end flaps has been folded against the ends of the cake, and as the cake and wrapper are then pushed along the support or platform the folded flaps pass between the heating plates or blocks 54 and 55 and thereafter between the cooling blocks 61, thus sealing and cooling the folded llaps and forming a tight wrapper around the cake.

In view of the close similarity between the construction of the tumbler box and folding mechanism shown in -f V2,915,867 Y f the drawingslandfin the Van Buren patent referred to, further details .of the operation ,of this structure have Vnot been illustrated and described.

Although one specific embodiment of the invention has i been particularly shownand described, it will begunderstood that the invention is capable fof'modiiicationA and that changes'intheconstruction and ink thearrangement of "the various cooperating parts-may bel made Without departing from thespirit or scopeofthe invention, as, eX- pressedin thev following claims.,

What we claim is: 1. In a wrapping machine, means for. folding a wrapper sheet around an article to be wrapped with parallel edge portions of thev sheetdisposed in overlappingrelation, means forfeeding the article and wrapper through a channel, means for tucking the wrapper against the'ends of the article forming two projecting flaps at each end of thearticle, means engageablewith said overlapped parallel edge portions for heating the said portions and sealing said portions together, means subsequently engaging said portions for cooling the heat seal, means operable after cooling of said heat seal for folding saidV end'aps against the ends` of the article, means for heatgsealing the folded aps, and means for cooling the last mentioned heat seal.

2,. In a wrapping machine, a block, a tumbler means to receive an article with a wrapper thereon having spaced substantially parallel rstand second edge portions with the Asecond of said edge portions extending across the 4x A top and depending down one Vside ofsaid block, a heater at the otherside of said block, a cooler below said heater, means spaced from the heater and coolerV providing a channel, means to move said tumbler with the wrapper thereon as aforesaid to cause the block to fold said second edge portion around the article into partially wrapped relation with the rst edge portion and for movement of the so partially-wrapped edge portions down saidchannel to fold said edge rportionsV into yoverlapping relation, means in said channel to cause said overlapped edge por:

, tions to successivelyV wipe said heaterV and said cooler,

and means operable past said cooler to complete folding and sealing of the wrapper around the article.

ReferencesA Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,697,474 I McGinley Dec.- 21, 1,954 

